Midnight's Echo
by pokemon-finatic
Summary: It's Christmas Eve in Goldenrod, and May has just finished her Christmas shopping. When she meets up with her rival Drew, however, how can one little prank turn into a disaster that brings the two closer than they could have ever imagined? CONTESTSHIPPING


**A/N: Ok...so...I haven't had much chance to get on the computer lately. Especially to get on FanFiction. But I think that, when life gives you snow days...WRITE FANFICTION! So, since I'll be gone for the Holidays next week, I figured I'd give you a Christmas Fic early! Sorry to all of you waiting for Whisper in the Wind...I'll be home the week after Christmas, so hopefully I can get the next chapter up then! Anyways...Happy Holidays! And, as usual, HAPPY READING!**

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_~Midnight's Echo~_**

May shivered, usually she loved the snow. Today, however, there was something about it that made her skin crawl. Everywhere she placed her foot, she had to make sure wasn't ice. May had a terrible track record with ice. Every year, she was the one girl that would fall flat on her face by slipping on the horrid frozen water.

"Not this year. Not again." May whispered to herself. It was Christmas Eve and she was out finishing her Christmas shopping. She had _The Great Book of PokéRecords_ for Max and a wooden Beautifly vase for her mother. It was starting to get dark out, which was no surprise, seeing as how she'd just made it to Goldenrod City in the afternoon.

May turned the corner to the Pokémon Center and, just as the welcoming doors came into view, everything went black. She screamed, only to have her mouth covered as well. But before she had a chance to panic, a familiar voice whispered in her ear…

"Guess who." The voice snickered.

"Drew? DREW! Let go of me right now!" It was only when she said this that May realized he'd let go of her mouth. Her vision, however remained black.

"Drrreeewww…let go of my eyes too." She growled. Drew laughed.

"I don't think so."

"Why. Not." May said through gritted teeth.

"Because, I want you to try to pick up your bag without looking. That way, you'll know what it's like to be blind."

"WHAT?!" May cried angrily, realizing that the bag with her brother and mother's presents had indeed fallen to the ground. "WHY WOULD I EVER DO THAT?!"

"Mostly…for my enjoyment." Drew answered. May growled but, knowing she would never get out of this unless she picked up the bag blindly, bent down and grabbed the bag without looking. Drew lifted his hands and May, once again, saw the welcoming doors of the Pokémon Center. She turned and glared at Drew, who smirked in turn.

"Hello to you too." He said in a way-too-cheery voice.

"Good bye to you too!" May spat as she spun on her heal and stomped toward the Center.

"Rude, much?" Drew called after her teasingly. May did not answer.

* * *

"Stupid Drew…" May mumbled. She had already checked in to the Pokémon Center and left her stuff in her room. Now she was simply taking a walk. Her skin had stopped crawling, or maybe she had just been imagining things. Who cared anyway?

She was now traveling through National Park, walking toward the centered fountain. Little did she know, that was exactly the spot that an ice-slipper did NOT want to be.

"I can't believe him! Every time, EVERY TIME! Why must he be so annoying? Ugh, I just wish…" The next thing May knew, she saw the sky and then, with a sharp pain in the back of her head, she saw nothing.

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**

"Drew, why don't you go on up to bed, you've been sitting there for hours and it's getting late." Nurse Joy said from across the room. Drew shook his head, he was waiting for May. He'd just been coming down from his room when he saw her leaving for a walk, and he had figured she'd just been leaving to cool down. But now…she hadn't come back and snow was starting to fall.

"I'm going out to look for her. I won't be able to sleep otherwise." He told Nurse Joy. She nodded in response, not taking her eyes from the computer screen as she typed at her desk. Drew grabbed a winter coat from the closet and walked out the Pokémon Center's doors.

"Crap, it's cold." He said under his breath as the icy air whipped his face. Why in the name of pokémon would May ever stay out in this?? Then, it hit him.

"She wouldn't…" Panic started to creep up on Drew as he walked, a bit more briskly than usual, down the way May had gone. He came to the main street and figured he'd turn left. May would never go into the forest alone. As he walked, Drew tried to keep all thoughts of bad things that could have happened to May out of his head.

"She's just lost or something, I know it." He tried to convince himself. "That girl has the worst sense of direction I've ever seen." Or did she? Frankly, Drew didn't really know that. Taking that thought out of his head he realized he was heading straight for National Park.

"The one place I should always check first…the most unlikely one." Drew mumbled. He walked through the gate that led to the park and took a look around it. From here, he could see the whole place. When his eyes came to the fountain, the panic turned to horror.

"May…" Drew whispered. His feet were frozen in place. Finally, mind took over instinct. Slowly, so as not to slip, he walked over to her. She lay on the ground near the fountain. When he got close enough to her, he could see her shivering.

"_Knowing her, she probably slipped. That'd be just like May, nearly freezing to death because she slipped on ice."_ Drew thought. He bent down and wrapped her in his arms. Her shivering slowed.

"May?" Drew asked. She looked up at him, but her sapphire eyes seemed distant. He wasn't even sure if she was looking at him.

"May?" He asked again. She blinked as if she'd heard him.

"…Roses…"

"What?" Drew asked.

"…Roses…Drew…gives me…roses." May whispered. Now thoroughly confused, Drew gave her a blank look.

"Drew…" she whispered.

"Yeah?"

"…You…give me…roses…"

"Yes, I give you roses." Drew answered, deciding to play along. May turned her gaze as if looking at something Drew could not see.

"…I…like…roses…from you…Drew…" she whispered.

"Ok…" Truly, Drew did not know what to say to that.

"…They…make me…happy…" And with that, May closed her eyes.

"May?" Drew asked, but she had already gone back into unconsciousness.

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**

"Drew I know you're worried, but for goodness' sake, go to bed. She'll be here in the morning."

When May first heard Nurse Joy's voice, she wondered if she was dreaming. Then she heard the second voice.

"Are you sure she'll be alright?" It was Drew!

"Positive, Drew, anyone who hit their head as hard as she did would have sounded a bit delirious at first. But I promise you, next time she wakes up she'll be normal."

"_Drew…Drew's _worried_ about me??"_ May thought. She dare not open her eyes. She continued listening.

"…I'll just stay up a bit longer…" Drew said. Nurse Joy sighed.

"Ok, who says I can stop you? Chansey, watch for anyone who may come in. I'm going to sleep." Nurse Joy said.

"Chansey!" May heard the pokémon agree. She heard a door shut and listened as footsteps walked over to the front doors, which were most likely Chansey's. When all was silent, May decided to peek. She opened her eyes, just a crack. Her head was already turned to the left, and when the fire of the fireplace blinded her, she had to blink.

She was in the lobby of the Pokémon Center! But…how'd she get here? Nurse Joy had said she'd hit her head…but the last thing she remembered was walking toward the fountain in National Park…

And then it hit her. ICE! She'd slipped on ice by the fountain! How could she have been so stupid?! It was then that her eyes caught Drew. He was sitting by the fireplace, gazing into the flames. There was something different about him though…he almost seemed…scared. May wanted to call him, tell him she was ok…or…was that what he was scared about? If scared at all?

"…Drew…" May whispered. She watched as he turned his head. His eyes caught hers and he blinked.

"…Drew…" she said again. He stood up and walked over to her, he then sat by the sofa she was bundled on. He never took his eyes from hers.

"May…are you…awake?" He asked. He seemed as if he couldn't truly believe her consciousness…she wondered why. Then she remembered something Nurse Joy had said. _"Drew, anyone who their head as hard as she did would have sounded a bit delirious at first. But I promise you, next time she wakes up she'll be normal."_ Next time? As in…she'd woken up already? But…she didn't remember waking up…

"…Yes…I am…" May answered, not knowing how else to answer. Then, something happened that May didn't expect. Drew's look turned angry.

"Don't, EVER do that again!" He growled. "Do you KNOW how scared I was?!"

"…you were…scared?" May asked

"Yes I was SCARED! I WAS OUT OF MY MIND WITH FEAR! When you didn't come back I…" Drew shook his head. He looked away. When he finally spoke again, it was a whisper.

"…I thought…you were dead…" Silence followed. May didn't know what else to say. She opened her mouth several times, each time closing it. Drew had been worried? About…her? Finally, Drew broke the silence.

"I could never live with myself if you had died because of me." May was stunned.

"Because…of you?"

"You were mad at me…wasn't that the whole reason you left?" Drew asked. It was a bit of a rhetorical question since they both knew the answer. May thought about it…she had been mad at him. But she'd almost forgotten.

"I guess…I guess it was…" she whispered. He turned his gaze back to her. Their eyes locked again.

"Drew…I…I'm sorry…" May whispered. Drew cringed and looked away. She reached out and put her hand on his shoulder. He held it there, as if he was afraid it'd disappear if he didn't. Had she really caused him that much pain? May felt awful…but how was she supposed to know she'd slip by a fountain in the middle of winter? Oh yeah…common sense and a bad track record…

"Drew...?" May asked. He turned his head so that she couldn't see any of his face. May tightened her grip on his shoulder. He turned his head back to her, the light of the fire shining off his eyes. He waited.

"Why do you care?" May asked. Drew blinked.

"Why…do…I…care?" he asked.

"Yes…" May answered. He was silent for a moment. Then he spoke.

"I've always cared, May. What? Did you think I hated you?" May looked away. In truth, at times, she had thought Drew hated her. It confused her, though, that he always came back. When she looked at Drew again, pain clouded his eyes.

"…you really thought I hated you?" He whispered.

"At times…" May answered. "But then…there were times I didn't…" Drew took in what she had said, and then answered.

"May…I would never…EVER…hate you. Please…remember that…" he said. May nodded. He then continued.

"How could I ever…hate you, when I…when I love you so much?" Drew asked. May's eyes widened. Drew…loved her?

"Drew…" May whispered. He turned his head, gazing at the fireplace again. May realized that she still had a hold of his shoulder. She gripped harder, but this time he didn't turn back to look at her.

"Drew…I love you too…" she whispered. Drew still didn't look back.

"Drew…I promise I'm telling the truth…" May whispered. Drew slowly turned back to look at her. Their eyes met one last time, before their lips met. Just then, the clock struck midnight. It rang all throughout the Pokémon Center. When its echo silenced May broke away.

"…Merry Christmas, Drew."


End file.
